Monday, 26 November 2012

Waiting for Siegfried

Let me begin with a personal anecdote. Father has
travelled extensively across the world on business, usually flying first
class. On one trip to Hong Kong he saw Leon Brittan, then Deputy European
Commissioner, in the departure lounge for the flight back to London.

I should add that Brittan, who formerly had served in
Margaret Thatcher’s government, is a politician for whom he does not have a
great deal of time. "Never mind", he thought, "he's on his
own. I'll ignore him." But no sooner had he boarded the flight than he
discovered that he was the only 'independent' in the first class cabin. Every
other seat was taken up by Brittan and an entourage from the Commission. I
do not know what the fare is now, but then the first class return flight to Hong Kong cost around £8000, that’s almost $13,000.

I suppose it’s only to be expected that the Deputy
Commissioner would travel first class. It really is stretching things,
though, when all the toadies of his court, who did little but drink the free
champagne and talk too loud, should also travel at the expense of the benighted
European taxpayer.

I dare say things are much worse now. There is so much
about this venal and corrupt organisation that simply never comes to light, so
much about the waste of its bloated bureaucracy. I was interested to
note, though not at all surprised, that the EU’s own auditors have refused to
sign off on its accounts for the past eighteen years.

For me the EU, aside from the ever present challenge to the
integrity and sovereignty of our nation, means one thing – waste. But
it’s not just waste; it’s a total disregard for the interests of the ordinary
taxpayers. It’s almost as if the Eurocrats are an old new aristocracy,
full of a sense of entitlement, full of disregard for the serfs who have to pay
for this entitlement. There they are, every one a Marquis St.
Evrémonde, sitting in their luxury coaches, tossing the occasional coin to the
plebs as they pass by.

I mention all of this as a background to Saint David Cameron’s
tilt with the European Dragon, roaring for more in the latest budget
talks. The beast wants approval on a £809million ($1296million) budget,
with lots more perks, privileges and first class junkets. Cameron wants
to cut the monster down. Contrary to expectations, he wasn’t alone here,
with delegations from Germany,
Denmark, Sweden and the Netherlands also pushing for
cuts.

Meanwhile a gang of Estonian farmers gathered outside the
dragon’s lair, demanding that his horde grow bigger. Oh, they are not on
the perks; they just get subsidies from the so-called Common Agricultural
Policy (CAP), which allow a lot of peasants to pursue peasant-like farming that
turns the rest of us into, well, peasants. It seems to be all part of the
grand aristocratic plan.

This is only the first round. The beast is not even
wounded. It will come back, breathing fire. Estonian farmers and
the CAP can go hang. The truly important thing is the beast’s own
well-being. Pee Wee Herman Van Rompay, who masquerades as the European
President, the Great Bureaucrat in person, was unable to identify a single euro
of potential cuts on administration, which accounts for 6% of the total
budget. Alas, the beast may eat him alive if he did.

No sooner were the talks over than the leaders slopped off
for a spot of luncheon, all washed down with a delightful Chateau Angelus
Premier Grand Cru, an unpretentious little claret, a real pinch at £120 a
bottle. This is our Brave New Europe that has such worthies in it.

Meanwhile, Tony Blair, shouting from the sidelines, says
that leaving Europe would be a ‘disaster for Britain.’ What a perfect
reverse barometer Mister Cosmopolitan is, a man who fills me with more contempt
than the dragon has gold. This is a man who, if he had had his way, would
have taken Britain
into the common currency years ago. This is a man who clearly knows an
awful lot about disaster. We will be ‘irrelevant’ outside the EU he
says. I just hope we are as irrelevant as Switzerland
and Norway rather than
relevant as Spain and Italy.
The Dragon and Blair deserve one another. Personally I’m waiting for
Siegfried to emerge. David Cameron, contrary to appearances, is no dragon
slayer.

I am caught in a dilemma when it comes to the EU I am an ardent supporter of the concept; increased prosperity through an enlarged free trade home market, greater security through unity and collectively a powerful voice in world affairs. However I hate the EU in what it has become; it is destroying wealth and wealth creation and therefore impoverishing most Europeans, it is more protectionist than it is free and it is sowing discord and disharmony. It is undermining democracy although we had already started that process prior to the current construct of the EU it is now merely accelerating the process. The EU went wrong because it was built on substandard foundations. Those foundations are it's member states who over the last seven decades have been following social democrat and illiberal policies and practices. If we had maintained and built upon free market capitalism and libertarianism and sustainable social care the EU would now I believe be a very different entity and would be working as it was envisioned. The EU is a failure and will eventually crumble how and when that is hard to predict but I suspect it will not be at all pleasant and will be sooner rather than later. It will of course take most of it's members with it.

I fear so, Antisthenese. The process seems to be well underway. I've drawn parallels in the past with the decline and fall of the late Roman Empire, which I do not think completely out of place. People of my generation have never had a say on Europe. In fact those who have, at the youngest, are now in their mid-fifties. My parents voted for continuing membership in 1975. They believed they were being sold an economic union.

They were deceived; most people of that generation were deceived over the EU, either deceived or wholly self-serving. The whole project is based on mistrust of the people and mistrust of democracy. Altogether its an intolerable situation.

About Me

Hi, I'm Ana! History is my passion -and that is not too strong a word - but I also enjoy politics, philosophy, art, literature and travel. In addition I have a deep interest in witchcraft, in all of the ancient arts. Apart from that I'm a keen sportswoman. I play lacrosse and tennis, but I love riding most of all. I have my own horse, Annette.